As a follow-up to the Common Knowledge symposium “Apology for Quietism” (15:1 to 16:3), this guest column asks what it means to say nothing. Strictly speaking, to “say nothing” is a contradiction in terms (unless, of course, one says “Nothing,” which is another thing entirely and generally not nothing). This essay explores what it means to say nothing in Tove Jansson's novella Fair Play (first published in Finland Swedish as Rent spel, 1989), an episodic account of the intertwined lives of (...) two elderly artists. Through its careful staging of saying nothing, the text calls attention to the many vital functions that silence serves: exposing tacit expectations, opening up creative and psychological space, enabling otherwise impossible relations. Bringing forth the diversity, complexity, and mystery behind hesitation and reticence, Jansson's novella emerges here as a quiet celebration of conversational practices associated with weakness, redefining the genre of the “love story” along the way. (shrink)

This study developed an emotional vulnerability scale and examined its reliability and validity with a sample of university students. In health psychology, a measurement of emotional pain can contribute to the prevention and improvement of physical and mental health problems in daily life. We collected data from 361 Japanese university students. From preliminary interviews with 20 participants, 42 semantic units were extracted. For scale development, a questionnaire survey was conducted using the 42 extracted categories, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (...) were performed. Four factors emerged, which were both reliable and valid: “vulnerability toward criticism or denial,” “vulnerability toward worsening relationships,” “vulnerability toward interpersonal discord,” and “vulnerability toward procrastination and emotional avoidance.” This scale can be useful to understand vulnerability in everyday situations and grasp the vulnerable conditions experienced by individuals. This can help prevent stress responses and mental health problems, which are valuable contributions to health psychology. (shrink)

30th Nov. and 1st Dec. 2013 at Kyoto University. Organizer: Takeshi Sakon.

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study found that even though children from all East Asian countries outperformed American children, American students reported higher self-evaluation of their math and science abilities than did students from East Asian countries such as China, Korea, and Japan (Mullis, Martin, Gonzalez, & Chrostowski, 2004). Such cross-cultural differences in self-appraisal fit the stereotype of the modest East Asian and contribute to the received view that East Asians have less positive self-concepts than Americans. This view (...) was summarized recently by Heine, Lehman, Markus, and Kitayama (1999) as follows: ‘‘The need for positive self-regard, as it is currently conceptualized, is not a universal, but rather is rooted in significant aspects of North American culture’’ (p. 766; but cf. Sedikides, Gaertner, & Vevea. (shrink)

ABSTRACTThe present study examined the effect of stimulus valence on two levels of selection in the cognitive system, selection of a task-set and selection of a response. In the first experiment, participants performed a spatial compatibility task in which stimulus-response mappings were determined by stimulus valence. There was a standard spatial stimulus-response compatibility effect for positive stimuli and a reversed SRC effect for negative stimuli, but the same data could be interpreted as showing faster responses when positive and negative stimuli (...) were assigned to compatible and incompatible mappings, respectively, than when the assignment was opposite. Experiment 2 disentangled these interpretations, showing that valence did not influence a spatial SRC effect when task-set retrieval was unnecessary. Experiments 3 and 4 replaced keypress responses with joystick deflections that afforded appr... (shrink)

Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge attracts the attention of ethnologists who are interested by the symbolical analysis of kingship. Although this book does not deal with the theme of kingship as such, it overlaps it on a mythical level. It is a novel about the rise and fall of a man, Henchard, whose initial act is to sell his wife and daughter; in order to commit this act he deviates from the context of the human norm by way of (...) drunkenness. He then enjoys great success as a corn merchant and becomes mayor of the town. Twenty years after this the graph of his destiny starts to fall with the arrival of a young man named Farfrae, who eventually ousts Henchard from his business as well as from his political position, and who goes to the length of taking over not only Henchard's mistress, Lucetta, but also his daughter, Elizabeth-Jane. (shrink)

Die vorliegende Bibliographie gibt erstmals einen Gesamtüberblick über die japanischsprachige Hegel-Rezeption von 1878 bis 2001. Die Bibliographie umfasst ca. 4500 japanischsprachige Titel der Übersetzungen u.a. von Hegels Schriften, Monographien, Aufsätzen sowie Lexikonartikeln, mit japanischen Zeichen, Umschrift und deutscher Übersetzung.

Im vorliegenden Buch wird das Verhaltnis zwischen den Problematiken der Zeit und des Anderen durchdacht. Die Genese der Zeit wird inhaltlich hinsichtlich der Entwicklung der drei Schichten des Werdeprozesses des Subjekts untersucht. Die erste Schicht wird als die ursprungliche, vor-ichliche Zeitigung durch die Triebintentionalitat zwischen dem Kleinkind und den Eltern angesehen. In der zweiten Schicht wird der Ursprung der messbaren, objektiven Zeitlichkeit und Raumlichkeit durch das Auftreten der aktiven Synthesen des Wahrnehmens, des Sprechens, des Urteilens, des Rechnens usw. intersubjektiv grundgelegt. (...) Dadurch wird die Integration der neurowissenschaftlichen Untersuchung des Bewusstseins durch B. Libet oder jener Spiegelneuronen durch G. Rizzolatti in die genetische Phanomenologie Husserls begrundet. Die dritte Schicht bezieht sich auf den Ursprung der Zeit aus dem Du der Ich-Du-Beziehung beim Erwachsenen. Dabei werden die Ich-Du-Beziehung und die selbstlose, nicht-ichliche Zuwendung zur Welt im Buddhismus in den folgenden Fragestellungen der genetischen Phanomenologie weiter vertieft: zum einen die Frage nach der Entstehung der einzelnen Empfindungsfelder aus der Ursynasthese, zum anderen die nach der Entstehung der Ethik aus dem vorsprachlichen und ubersprachlichen Schweigen der selbstlosen Zuwendung zur Welt. (shrink)

Das Problem der Intersubjektivitiit Intersubjektivität ist Husserl schon seit der Darstellung der Ideen I in Zusammenhang mit dem Problem der phiinomenologischen phänomenologischen Reduk tion sehr stark bewusst und wird, wie die neue VerOffentlichung Veröffentlichung 'Zur Phänome Phiinome nologie der Intersubjektivität'l Intersubjektivitiit'l ausdrücklich ausdrucklich zeigt, zeit seines Lebens in seinem Denken mit mehr oder weniger Intensitiit Intensität behandelt. Bekanntlich hat Husserl Hussed die Einfühlungslehre EinfUhlungslehre in seinem spiiten späten Versuch mit der 'Selbstobjektivation' 'Selbstobjektivation',, 'Selbstauslegung' des absoluten, anonymen, transzen 2 dentalen ego (...) erkliirt. erklärt. Gerade auf diesen Punkt konzentriert sich zutreffende Kritik und zeigt die Unvermeidbarkeit des transzendentalen Solipsismus; was als Grund für fUr echte echte Intersubjektivitiit Intersubjektivität gesucht gesucht wird, wird, niimlich nämlich die die Gleichursprunglich Gleichursprünglich keit keit von von Subjekten, Subjekten, fUhrt führt schliesslich schliesslich auf auf den den Weg der Radikalisierung der trans zendentalen Reduktion und der Erklärung Erkliirung mit der immanenten Zeitigung des transzendentalen ego in die 'einseitige Verlagerung des Gewichts auf ein konsti tuierendes Ur-Ich, dem kein ebenso ursprungliches ursprüngliches Du gegenübersteht, gegeniibersteht,...'3. (shrink)

In kants kritik der reinen vernunft ist die urteilskraft ein vermogen, das besondere unter das allgemeine zu subsumieren. unter dieser bestimmenden urteilskraft wird die spontaneitat der einbildungskraft, die auf der subjektsseite von der urteilsform wirkt, durch die verstandesbegriffe, die die pradikatsseite ausmachen, beschrankt. trotzdem realisiert die einbildungskraft die verstandesbegriffe durch die produkzion der schemata. also muss die eigentliche spontaneitat der einbildungskraft darin bestehen, das intellektuelle ddrzustellen und zu realisieren. in kants kritik der urteilskraft ist die urteilskraft die reflektierende, zum besonderen (...) das allgemeine zu finden. unter dieser urteilskraft wird die einbildungskraft von den verstandesbegriffe (d.i. von der pradikatsseite) befreit. diese freie einbildungskraft erreicht das ubersinnliche substrat, das der natur und unserer vernunft zum grund liegt, und stellt es vermittelst der form und unform der natur dar. also ist das schone die darstellung der idee des ubersinnlichen in der begrenzten form der natur durch diese kraft. aber diese darstellung ist indirekt. (edited). (shrink)

The causes of prehistoric inter-group violence have been a subject of long-standing debate in archaeology, an- thropology, and other disciplines. Although population pressure has been considered as a major factor, due to the lack of available prehistoric data, few studies have directly examined its effect so far. In the present study, we used data on skeletal remains from the middle Yayoi period of the Japanese archipelago, where archaeologists argued that an increase of inter-group violence in this period could be explained (...) by a population-pressure hy- pothesis. We quantitatively examine the effect of population pressure on the frequency of inter-group violence by compiling an exhaustive data set. We collected demographic information based on burial jars (kamekan) and the frequency of violence based on the ratio of injured individuals. The results are consistent with the hypothesis, i. e., high population density can promote inter-group violence. (shrink)

We consider a spatial bargaining model where players collectively choose a facility location on a two-dimensional rectilinear distance space through bargaining using the unanimity rule. We show that as players become infinitely patient, their stationary subgame perfect equilibrium utilities converge to the utilities that satisfy the lexicographic maximin utility criterion introduced by Sen.

Savant syndrome and prime numbers Oliver Sacks reported that a pair of autistic twins had extraordinary number abilities and that they spontaneously generated huge prime numbers. Such abilities could contradict our understanding of human abilities. Sacks' report attracted widespread attention, and several researchers speculated theoretically. Unfortunately, most of the explanations in the literature are wrong. Here a correct explanation on prime number identification is provided. Fermat's little theorem is implemented in spreadsheet. Also, twenty years after the report, questionable aspects were (...) found in it. Extreme abilities became dubious. One possibility for the less extreme abilities is incomplete trial division. (shrink)

科学的予測なるものの圧力が増大するなかで。先端バイオテクノロジーやDNA型鑑定への期待、災害予測、感染症シミュレーション、地震予測、放射線被ばくのリスク予測、そして政策や経済での活用まで、予測と社会の 複雑かつ多面的な関係性を考察する。.

This article examines the effect of Japan’s official development assistance (ODA) over 10 years that proposed to facilitate environmental conservation in developing countries. Special emphasis is given to ODA disbursements in the energy sector to evaluate whether Japan’s foreign aid has shifted its policy toward more environmentally sound goals. The article finds that despite its articulated premise, Japan’s ODA for the energy sector has favored environmentally problematic projects, that is, those based on fossil fuels and larger scale (10 megawatt or (...) larger) hydropower. Similar to patterns in the early 1990s, environmentally friendly projects have received little attention. It is not surprising that the expected amount of greenhouse gas emissions from Japan’s ODA-supported energy projects appears substantial. (shrink)

The present study investigated the influence of emotional stimuli in the flanker task. In six experiments, separate influences of anticipating and reacting to valence-laden stimuli (affective pictures or facial expressions) on the flanker effect and its sequential modulation (also known as conflict adaptation) were examined. The results showed that there was little evidence that emotional stimuli influenced cognitive control when positive and negative stimuli appeared randomly during the flanker task. When positive and negative stimuli were separated between different participant groups (...) in order to exclude a possible contamination from the effect of one valence to that of another, the sequential modulation was reduced when valence-laden stimuli were anticipated or had been presented on a preceding trial, regardless of the valence of the stimuli. A similar pattern was also obtained with facial expressions but only for response accuracy and only after valence-laden stimuli were presented on a preceding trial. The influences of anticipating and reacting to emotional stimuli were only partially replicated in the final two experiments where the arousal and valence of affective pictures were manipulated orthogonally. The lack of consistent influences of emotional stimuli on the flanker effect challenges the existing theories that implicate affective contributions to cognitive control. (shrink)